Councilman, mayor clash over campaign talk at Valdese meeting

The latest Valdese Town Council meeting ended with a heated disagreement between Councilman Glenn Harvey and Mayor Charlie Watts on the subject of the 2025 election and campaigning.

The disagreement centered on whether Harvey’s comments were a form of campaigning or discussion.

During the Mayor and Council Comments, Harvey had prepared a final public statement to address the residents of Valdese and why now is a better time than ever to serve on the council. His statement is published on page 2B.

“There are a couple of major events coming up here between now and the next council meeting. Everybody’s time is valuable … I would like to ask the mayor and the council’s indulgence to take about eight minutes here to go through some comments about the upcoming couple of weeks,” Harvey posed.

Harvey read through his prepared statement, pointing to how the town has never “had a stronger manager and management team” and “never been in a stronger financial position.”

Further down in his statement, the council member began to talk about the political action committee, Step Up for Valdese. He said this committee, which hosted a June 19 fundraising event and website, appears to be “directed by someone who doesn’t even live in Valdese.”

The announced 2025 campaign features the following candidates: Councilwoman Melinda Zimmerman for Ward 2; Councilwoman Rexanna Lowman for Ward 3; Shannon Radabaugh for Ward 1; and Keith Huffman for Mayor.

As Harvey continued reading his statement, Watts began quietly talking with Town Attorney Tim Swanson. Watts then stopped Harvey by saying, “Mr. Harvey, I think you’re kind of crossing the line a little bit. You’re campaigning.”

Harvey disagreed by saying he was exercising his First Amendment right and that he was not campaigning.

The two continued to debate until Watts struck his gavel. “You’re out of order, sir,” Watts said.

“There’s no campaign. I’m not campaigning. I’m not running,” Harvey said.

After Harvey asked Swanson why he was out of order, Swanson answered, “I assume that the argument would be that you’re making these statements in your official capacity in your seat as a council member as opposed to your individual capacity as not a council member.”

Swanson further said that Harvey was making statements against someone who is campaigning.

“You see, that’s what societies that are in trouble in this world suffer from. They suffer from freezing discussion,” Harvey said.

Watts explained that the discussion was improper from an elected position. Harvey returned that the mayor has been out of order many times in the last two years, and the councilman didn’t know “how you can even sit there and say that.”

“The problem is we had in 2023, we had six people up here who campaigned, used their influence of their position to campaign, and what’s shaping up in 2025 is the same thing,” Harvey concluded.

The candidate filing period for the upcoming election is July 7-18, with early voting taking place from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1.

The current seats up for election in Valdese are the mayor and Wards 1, 2, and 3, which are held by Watts, Harvey, Zimmerman, and Lowman, respectively. Harvey and Watts has announced that they will not seek reelection.